Tiger Mask IV officially called it a career after 31 years.
The retirement show was held in front of a reported 1490 fans at Korakuen Hall and featured exhibition matches against Tom Billington, the nephew of The Dynamite Kid, and Black Tiger IV, a.k.a. Rocky Romero.
The two matches were five-minute exhibitions, which both ended in a time-limit draw. However, Black Tiger grabbed the mic after his match and said he wanted five more minutes. A restart was granted, and Tiger Mask quickly won with a Tiger Suplex. Black Tiger unmasked himself, and Romero hugged Tiger Mask.
A ceremony was held with the NJPW roster giving flowers and paying tribute to Tiger Mask in the ring. Notably, Tomohiro Ishii was among those, and it marked Hiroshi Tanahashi’s first retirement ceremony, which he presided over as NJPW President.
K-1 star Takeru, and wrestling legends The Great Sasuke, Jinsei Shinzaki, Jushin Thunder Liger, and Tatsumi Fujinami were in attendance, as well as the original Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama). The fourth Tiger Mask asked Satoru Sayama for one last lock-up, which featured iconic ring announcer Kero Tanaka.
Tiger Mask IV gave a heartfelt speech before the 10-bell salute to cap off his 31-year career.
